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2008-05-15

Gluten-Free Blueberry Oat Muffins

Gluten-free blueberry oat muffins.

We woke to the sound of water. It is raining in the desert this morning. The overflow is spilling over the edges of the canales, splashing onto the wedges of flagstone scattered in the sand around our casita. It feels like we are living inside a Zen fountain- waterfalls on all sides. The mesa is hidden in mist. The air is heavy with the scent of juniper and wet bark. I am deeply comforted by all of this.Moisture is a rare commodity here.

I breathe in the friendly air and flash on a rainy autumn day in New Hampshire, the sidewalk wet with red and gold leaves. I remember a cup of coffee and an American Spirit, sipped and smoked in a clammy car parked at the edge of a Cape Cod beach in Orleans, the surf a dense gray-green from the chop of a spring storm. I think about a blue and breezy afternoon at Venice Beach, taking photographs of sand and seaweed.All this, conjured from the smell of the desert in the rain.

I miss the ocean more than I ever thought possible. In the dreamy rainy day mood I'm in it is difficult to concentrate. I lazily edit photographs of blueberry muffins. I sip peppermint tea. I smile big and wide and send the State of California Supreme Court a big wet kiss for today's wise and compassionate decision (long time readers know my thoughts on this particular issue of love and marriage- you will always find me on the side of love).

Love is the bigger, deeper, sweetest thing, after all. So here is a muffin recipe in celebration of all things sweet and good. A muffin to love. Brown sugar oatmeal goodness that is vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and even soy-free. One thing it isn't? Free of flavor. I'm not lying. Make these and see for yourself. You'll thank me.

With a big fat blueberry kiss.

Gluten-free oats make lovely muffins.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Recipe posted May 2008.I have been using Trader Joe's gluten-free oats in my baking. When I make muffins, I like to use rolled oats- the topping looks so pretty.

Ingredients:

1 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats

Soaked in:

1 cup warm vanilla non-dairy milk, for 20 minutes

Beat together:

1/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening/Earth Balance Stick

3/4 cup organic golden brown sugar

2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar or honey

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large separate bowl:

1 cup sorghum flour or GF oat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To assemble you'll need:

Egg Replacer (or two organic free-range eggs, beaten):

1 tablespoon Energ-G Egg Replacer

4 tablespoons water

Whisk till frothy.

Add at the end:

1 cup blueberries- fresh or frozen* see note

For crumble topping:

Rub together 2 tablespoons each:

Certified gluten-free rolled oats

Organic brown sugar

Spectrum Organic Shortening/Earth Balance Stick

Add cinnamon, to taste

Instructions:Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners. Or a 6-muffin jumbo pan.

Add the soaked oats to the shortening mixture; combine briefly and scoop into the dry mixture. Mix by hand to combine.

Add the Egg Replacer or beaten eggs. If the batter appears too stiff or dry, add 1 to 4 tablespoons of vanilla rice or hemp milk- one spoon at a time- till soft and moist. Add the blueberries right at the end of mixing. Divide and plop the batter into the twelve muffin cups. Sprinkle with brown sugar oat topping. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes; if you are making large jumbo muffins, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note* If you use frozen berries, your muffins may need five extra minutes to bake. Keep an eye them. Check doneness with a wooden pick.

Remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack (this keeps the bottoms from getting soggy- no one likes a soggy bottom!).